Labels

Sunday, 7 August 2016

Weekend wanderings

Samuel Johnson famously once said that 'when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.' While I don't entirely agree with this quote, the sentiment that there are so many things to entertain in London rings true. Too many, if that is possible. There is so much choice I don't know where to begin! Somehow all my friends that live in London seem to all be away a the same time, so any plans to hang out with familiar faces this weekend were scuppered. This was probably a blessing in disguise as it forced me to step out on my own. I don't have any fear or anxiety about going places alone, I mean, I travelled across America on my own at 20 so I can be pretty independent when I want to be, but I prefer having company. Life is just more enjoyable with friends. Doing things alone can teach you valuable things about yourself and even if this weekend wasn't a journey of self discovery, I got to see some new places I might not have seen for a while if I'd been too afraid to go alone. When I woke up on Saturday I must admit that I almost put my head back under the duvet to watch Netflix all day. But - no. There was a whole city to explore and I was determined to make the most of it. Like a nerd, I love art galleries and museums and in London most of the best ones are free. I'd never been to the Science Museum so I braved Central London on a Saturday in the summer holidays. That was a bit of a mistake, let me tell you. The tube was boiling and crammed full of tourists but it was all worth it when I stepped into the airy atrium of scientific wonder. Part of the museum was closed for refurbishment but I had a good look around the space section, the clocks, the aviation bit and the transport 'modern world' area. I really enjoyed it, but it was a bit of information overload.

I tried a small church in Notting Hill on Sunday morning. They were very friendly and had a coffee bar (score!) but it did make me miss my home church quite a lot. I was going to peruse Portobello market but it doesn't open on a Sunday so I decided to go to Westfield shopping mall instead. It's very shiny and has a ton of great shops and food places. I'm not allowing myself to spend unnecessary money so OF COURSE I found loads of clothes I wanted. The sparkly skirts in Zara, the cool tops in Pull & Bear, basically everything in Uniqlo...it was tough walking away. Now, before you think that I'm living the life of Riley and having the best life, it hasn't been the easiest transition (is moving ever easy?). I don't feel settled yet but I keep telling myself that it's only the first weekend and that I can't expect to feel at home straight away. I'll need to remind myself of this - probably daily - over the next few weeks.